Hats off to Gov. Jared Polis, State Sen. Mike Foote, and State Reps. Emily Sirota and Jeni James Arndt for leading the way in making Colorado the 13th jurisdiction to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

This agreement adds Colorado to the list of states — plus D.C. — that agree to award 270 electoral votes and the White House to the candidate who wins the most popular votes across all 50 states and D.C. The compact currently has 189 electoral votes, with 81 more to go before it becomes effective.

As part of this compact, every Colorado voter’s choice is amplified as part of a powerful coalition in control of not just our nine electoral votes, but of 270 electoral votes. That’s enough to elect a president. Thank you to the leaders statewide who have just made every Coloradan more powerful in presidential elections.

Sylvia Bernstein, Boulder

Take action to make Boulder safer, more inclusive

I am writing this letter to amplify the need for tangible action from our city government in response to racism within our city. Boulder police going as far as to call for backup and pull weapons on a student cleaning up trash on his own residence is a sign that reform is desperately needed. What is worse is that this March 1 incident was not outside of the norm. These racially driven confrontations happen all the time in Boulder, despite our community that prides itself on the progressive ideals of equality. I recently moved to Boulder for school, drawn to the city because of the mountain views and friendly community. Incidents like the one of March 1 make me disappointed in this community, and I hope our elected officials will take tangible action to make necessary changes in Boulder to be a safer, more inclusive community for everyone. Residents of Boulder have the right to feel safe in our communities and schools.

Boulder City Council has a chance to set an example for how to handle police confrontations like this. They should have heard us loud and clear at Boulder Special City Council meeting on Monday, March 18: We will no longer accept lack of action. The NAACP has released a set of imperatives to guide our path forward, and it is our responsibility to continue to hold the city accountable for reforming for the way we handle racism. From community oversight board made up of at least 50 percent black, Latino, or Native American people; know-your-rights trainings for community members; community-police dialogues; and policy to practice changes within the Boulder Police Department, there are changes we can make to move our city from racist-compliant toward anti-racist.